Glove with integrated voltage detector

ABSTRACT

The inventive glove provides a work glove that detects the presence of AC voltage without compromising its usability as a work glove. Embodiments of the inventive glove include monopole aerials extending into the fingers of the glove. A thin flexible dielectric layer sits between the aerials and inside of the glove, acting as an electrical barrier between the aerials and the user&#39;s hand. The aerials are connected to conventional voltage detector circuitry on a circuit board located on the back of the glove. The circuit board is grounded to the user&#39;s wrist, which enhances the circuitry&#39;s ability to detect the presence of nearby AC voltage at a safe distance.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of International Application NumberPCT/IB2020/057575, filed on Aug. 12, 2020, which is acontinuation-in-part of International Application NumberPCT/IB2019/001379, filed on Dec. 31, 2019.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The commercial use of alternating current (AC) has been changing theworld for more than a century and is a major driver for all moderngrowth in the world. Residences, office buildings, factories, and navalvessels all use AC, however, because AC does not have a presence thatcan be readily detected by the five senses, AC poses risks of injury andeven death to workers in those environments who may unwittingly comeinto contact with an exposed source of AC. For example, even though anelectrician working on a power distribution panel may have been toldthat power has been turned off, another worker may have subsequentlyreenergized the panel. As another example, a power line may have beendowned by a windstorm, and a first responder will have no idea whetheror not the power line remains “live.” As another example, a plumberrepairing a broken copper pipe may be unaware that elsewhere in thebuilding an exposed wire has come into contact with a distant end of thesame copper pipe. Every year, there are thousands of accidentalelectrocutions in occupational settings, making electrical injuries thefourth-leading cause of workplace-related traumatic death.

In order to detect the presence of AC, workers may use non-contact ACvoltage detectors which detect the changing electric and magnetic fieldsaround an AC-carrying conductor. The technology behind non-contact ACvoltage detection is well-understood and commercial hand-held detectorsare readily available in the marketplace. However,commercially-available hand-held detectors are inconvenient in that theyrequire the user to remove the detector from a toolbox or pocket, bringthe detector probe(s) near the conductive material, and then return thedetector to the toolbox or pocket. This inconvenience may transform intoactual risk of accidental electrocution. For example, at the beginningof the job, an electrician may confirm, using a hand-held detector, thata circuit box is not energized. However, during the course of work onthe circuit box, there is a risk that someone may reconnect power to thecircuit box. While best practices may require the electrician to checkperiodically for the presence of live voltage, as a practical matter,the electrician may choose not to follow best practices or may simplyforget to check for the presence of live voltage as frequently asnecessary.

A better solution might be a non-contact AC voltage detector that isincorporated into something that the worker would be carrying or wearingas part of the course of performance of the work. One choice might besomething that the worker may be wearing on the hand, such as a glove.However, a voltage detector that has been incorporated into a glove willbe of value to a worker only if the glove itself is still useful for itsprimary purpose, namely use as an article of clothing that protects thehand and/or provides additional grip strength for picking up and holdingarticles. In practice, producing such a glove that is useful both as aglove and as a voltage detector has proven elusive. By way of example,U.S. patent Ser. No. 10/247,763 discloses a “voltage detecting glove”which requires an aerial/antenna component that extends around the tipof a glove finger. While such a design may increase performance of theglove as a voltage detector, it also decreases the performance of theglove as an actual glove. As a second example, U.S. Pat. Pub.20160209448 discloses a “voltage detector safety glove” which is littleif anything more than a conventional non-contact voltage detector thathas been attached to a pocket sewn into a conventional glove. However,this design does not appear to take into account any effect that thehuman body will have on the quality and strength of the detected signal.As a third example, WO 2014158030 discloses an “electrical energydetection glove” that uses a wire loop antenna integrated into the backof the hand and/or fingers. However, in practice, a wire loop antennahas a number of drawbacks: it requires close (and potentially dangerous)proximity to detect nearby AC voltage, the detected signal will likelylose strength as it passes through the loop, and the disclosed designwill have a single point of failure.

Thus, what is needed is a voltage detector design that lends itself toincorporation into existing glove designs without adversely affectingeither the performance of the voltage detector or the performance of theglove.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the inventive glove solve the problem of incorporating anAC voltage detector into an everyday work glove without adverselyaffecting the performance of the glove. More particularly, embodimentsof the inventive glove use thin, lightweight monopole aerials extendinginto the top of each of the glove fingers. The aerials are separatedfrom the user's fingers with a thin layer of dielectric material actingas an electrical barrier. This provides suitable sensitivity, from asafe distance, to any nearby AC voltage, it does not require the user tohold the glove at a particular angle to the conductive material, and theAC voltage detector will continue to function even if some of theaerials cease to function because of normal wear and tear or physicalimpact.

Further, embodiments of the inventive glove include AC voltage detectionand alerting circuitry connected to the aerials. This circuitryprovides, at a minimum, the capability to detect the presence of ACvoltage, eliminate background noise, and alert the user to the presenceof dangerous AC voltage. The circuitry includes a ground connection inphysical contact with the user's body, making the detection circuitrymore sensitive to the presence of AC voltage. This increased sensitivityallows for the use of a thinner dielectric layer separating the aerialsfrom the user's hand, which in turn avoids unnecessary stiffening of theglove and decreasing its usefulness as a glove.

Further, in some embodiments, the detection circuitry may include amicrocontroller or microprocessor, non-volatile memory, anaccelerometer, a GPS receiver, a motion-powered charger, visual, audio,and/or haptic alert components, and wired or wireless communicationsinterfaces. Such additional components, while not necessary for thedetection of AC voltage, provide additional beneficial convenience andoperational features to the inventive glove.

Upon review of the drawings and detailed descriptions that follow, thoseskilled in the art will recognize other alternative embodiments of theinventive glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cutaway view of the top side of an embodiment of theinventive glove.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the wrist portion of an embodiment of theinventive glove.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway view of the side of the index finger portion of anembodiment of the inventive glove.

FIG. 4 is diagram of the logical layout of the circuit board in anembodiment of the inventive glove.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the functionality performed by thecomponents of the circuit board in an embodiment of the inventive glove.

FIG. 6 is a cutaway view of the top side of an embodiment of theinventive glove.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway view of the side of the index finger portion of anembodiment of the inventive glove.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The inventive glove may be implemented in a variety of embodiments,including the following first embodiment which provides sufficientdetails so as to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to makeand use the invention without extensive experimentation, as well asvariations on this first embodiment that may prove beneficial forcertain applications and configurations.

For purposes of explaining the various embodiments of the inventiveglove, this disclosure will refer to portions of the glove usingterminology corresponding to terminology commonly associated with thehuman hand, including “fingers” (corresponding to the phalanges), a“palm” (corresponding to the palmar side of the carpals and themetacarpals), a “back” (corresponding to the dorsal side of the carpalsand the metacarpals), and a wrist (corresponding to the carpals and thejoint between the carpals and the radius). Further, a glove finger has aportion that when worn is adjacent to the palmar side of the hand andanother portion that is adjacent to the dorsal side of the hand; forpurposes of identification, this disclosure uses “bottom” and “top” todenote the palmar and dorsal sides of the glove fingers. Further, aglove has an interior portion (that is, the side that is most adjacentto the user's hand) and an exterior portion (that is, the side thatfaces the external elements); for purposes of identification, thisdisclosures uses the terms “inner” and “outer” to denote the interiorand exterior portions of the glove.

First Embodiment

In a first embodiment of the inventive glove, glove 100 comprises outerlayer 110, inner layer 120, circuit board 130, ground buttons 140 and142 (connected via wires 141 and 143), a plurality of monopole aerials150 a, 150 b, 150 c, 150 d, and 150 e (collectively aerials 150), anddielectric layer 160. FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show various views of glove 100.

Each of aerials 150 comprise about 3 meters of 40 gaugepolyurethane-insulated copper Litz wire, with the bulk of the wirearranged in a coil lying flat on the top side of each finger of theglove, with a short, generally straight, wire segment extending towardsand connects to circuit board 130. The coiled portion is about 18 mmwide, and the total length of the coiled segment plus the straightsegment of aerials 150 b, 150 c, 150 d, and 150 e is about 100 mm; thetotal length of the coiled segment and the straight segment of aerial150 a (the thumb) is about 70 mm. When worn, the flattened coils willbend slightly to fit the shape of the user's finger, and the coiledportion of each of aerials 150 will extend from around the knuckle ofeach user's finger to the tip of each user's finger. Howeverimportantly, when worn, no portion of any of aerials 150 extends beyondthe user's fingertips so that the presence of the aerials will notinterfere with use of the glove for typical work-related activities suchas picking up and holding objects.

Ground buttons 140 and 141 comprise conductive material and are intendedto contact the skin of the user's hand at the user's wrist when worn. Assuch, glove 100 includes a Velcro wrist strap (not shown) to secure theglove 100 such that the inner sides of ground buttons 140 and 142 makeelectrical contact with the user's hand. Ground button 140 iselectrically connected to circuit board 130 via wire 141 and to groundbutton 142 by wire 143. Ground button 140, ground button 142, and wire143 are sewn to the inner side of outer layer 110 at the wrist of glove100, such that at least a portion of the ground buttons 140 and 142 areexposed to the user's wrist through openings in inner layer 120.

Aerials 150 are positioned into the fingers of glove 100 betweendielectric layer 160 and outer layer 110, and are mechanically attachedto dielectric layer 160 with adhesive. Dielectric layer 160 is 3 mmneoprene which prevents leakage of any AC voltage detected by aerials150 into the user's hand. Dielectric layer 160 extends through the topside of each finger of glove 100 (under the coiled portions of aerials150) and across the back of glove 100 (under aerials 150 and circuitboard 130).

Outer layer 110 protects the user's hand, aerials 150, and circuit board130 from mechanical risks, and is made from cowhide grain leather. Innerlayer 120 comprises cotton material that provides user comfort andseparates the user's hand from direct contact with circuit board 130 anddielectric layer 160. Outer layer 110 and inner layer 120 both followthe shape of a user's hand and are sewn together at the wrist portionsof each as well as other portions as needed to keep inner layer 120 in agenerally-fixed position within outer layer 110.

Circuit board 130 comprises conventional low-power electronics forprocessing signals from aerials 150. FIG. 4 shows the logical layout ofcircuit board 130, including aerial connector 131 (to which aerials 150are connected), ground connector 132 (to which wire 141 is connected),AC voltage detection components 133 (which comprise various resistors,capacitors, transistors, traces, and the like, as needed to perform thefunctions described in block diagram 170), surface mount buzzer 134, andsurface mount coin cell holders 135 and 136 (suitable for holding twoCR2032 3v coin cell batteries which provide power to circuit board 130).The components of circuit board 130 are physically arranged to provideoptimal performance as would be known to one of ordinary skill in theart of designing circuit board layout.

Block diagram 170, shown in FIG. 5 , describes the functionality of thecomponents of circuit board 130 when a signal arrives from aerials 150.The electrical signal from aerials 150 first passes through band passfilter 171, which eliminates very low and very high frequency signals,for example, low-frequency static fields and high-frequency fieldscaused by switch-mode power supplies. The signal output from band-passfiller 171 then passes through frequency comparator 172, which comparesthe filtered signal with a reference signal. When the filtered signalhas a higher frequency than that of the reference signal, the output ofcomparator 172 is low, and when the filtered signal has a lowerfrequency than that of the reference signal, the output of comparator172 is high. Thus, in the presence of a sufficiently strong AC voltage,the signal output from comparator 172 is a square wave with a frequencyequal to that of the electrical signal received by aerials 150. Thissignal feeds into peak detector 173, which outputs a DC voltage equal tothe peak value of the signal from comparator 172. The output of peakdetector 173 drives the circuitry of audio annunciator 174 which emitsan audible alert when it receives a sufficient signal. Thus, whenaerials 150 are in proximity to commercial AC voltage, the detectedvoltage results in an audible alert from annunciator 174, and whenaerials 150 are not in proximity to commercial AC voltage, annunciator174 will remain silent.

Alternative and Additional Embodiments

The inventive glove as described in the foregoing embodiment may bemodified and/or extended by one of ordinary skill in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inventive glove, so long as the glove(a) maintains its usefulness as a glove and (b) maintains its ability todetect AC voltage at a safe distance. Selection of some of thesemodifications and extensions may affect the quality of the generaloperation of the inventive glove in terms of performance when used forparticular applications. Other modifications and extensions may bedriven by costs of manufacture, availability of materials, physicalconstraints, and other factors which may be independent of the generaloperation of the inventive glove. The following variations represent anon-exclusive description of examples of other embodiments which may bemixed and matched as needed and as technically feasible withoutaffecting the general functionality of the inventive glove.

In some embodiments, outer layer 110 comprises material suitable for usein specific applications. For example, outer layer 110 may comprisenatural or synthetic materials, including cotton, wool, canvas, rubber,latex, nylon, neoprene, nitrile, polyvinyl, polyethylene, silk, Kevlar,metal fiber, and the like, along with blends of such materials. Further,outer layer 110 may further comprise outer coatings such aspolyurethane, Teflon, nitrile, and latex. Further, a portion of outerlayer 110 may comprise one material while another portion may compriseother materials, for example, the front side of the fingertips of glove100 may comprise material that enhances the user's grip, while the wristportion may be made from flexible material that enhances the fit ofglove 100.

In some embodiments, inner layer 120 comprises material suitable for usein specific applications. For example, inner layer 120 may comprisenature or synthetic materials, including silk, wool, leather, and thelike, along with blends of such materials. Further, in some embodiments,inner layer 120 is fully attached to outer layer 110 using thread,adhesive, or other suitable means commonly known to those of ordinaryskill in the art. Further, in some embodiments, there may be a layerbetween outer layer 110 and inner layer 120 comprising a lightweightthermal insulating material.

In some embodiments, the length, configuration, and composition ofaerials 150 may vary provided that (a) aerials 150 remain sufficientlysensitive to AC voltage at a safe distance and (b) the variations do nothinder the usability of the glove in terms of weight and/or flexibility.For example, aerials 150 may comprise thinner or thicker gauges of wireand may comprise solid (non-Litz) wire. Further, aerials 150 may bearranged in a configuration other than in overlapping coils, for examplethe wires may be positioned in side-by-side runs that are parallel,orthogonal, or diagonal with respect to a line between the knuckle andfingertip portions of glove 100. Further, the length and configurationsof aerials 150 may be tuned for optimized performance for a particularfrequency of AC voltage. Further, the total wire length of aerials 150may vary according to the size of the gloves and lengths of the glovefingers.

In some embodiments, aerials 150 may comprise serpentine printedcircuits on circuit board 130, where circuit board 130 comprises asingle or multilayer flexible dielectric substrate such as polyimide orpolyester. As shown in FIG. 6 , in such embodiments, circuit board 130extends through the top of the fingers of glove 100 and through aportion of the back and wrist of glove 100, including a portion 130 athat comprises pads where AC voltage detection components 133, surfacemount buzzer 134, and surface mount coin cell holders 135 and 136 may bemounted. Additionally, printed circuits on circuit board 130 providedirect and indirect connections between aerials 150, the componentsmounted on portion 130 a, and ground buttons 140 and 141. In somerelated embodiments, the dielectric substrate of circuit board 130 mayalso serve as dielectric layer 160. In some related embodiments, circuitboard portion 130 a may be a discrete circuit board that may beconnected to circuit board 130 using conventional edge connectortechnology. In some related embodiments, some of the electricalcomponents may be mounted at locations on circuit board 130 other thanportion 130 a. In some related embodiments, dielectric layer 160 may bepositioned only under circuit board 130, while in other embodiments,dielectric layer 160 may extend to the entire back and wrist of glove100.

In some embodiments, aerials 150 may be located on the bottom of thefingers of glove 100 instead of on the top of the fingers of glove 100.As shown in FIG. 7 , the bottom of the fingers of glove 100 comprisesdielectric layer 160 adjacent to inner layer 120 and aerials 150 betweendielectric layer 160 and outer layer 110. Because this configurationplaces aerials 150 on the “working” side of glove 100, some additionalmeasures may be required to protect aerials 150; for example, outerlayer 110 may need to be thicker, composed of stronger material, and/orinclude multiple layers, and aerials 150 may comprise printed circuitson a flexible circuit board which may be part of circuit board 130 ormay be a separate circuit board connected to circuit board 130 andlocated in the back or palm of the glove 100. Because such additionalmeasures may reduce the sensitivity of aerials 150 to detect an externalAC voltage, aerials 150 may extend into the palm of glove 100.

In some embodiments, there may be a single ground contact and it may belocated elsewhere on glove 100, for example, as a ground buttonpositioned on the front or back side of the wrist, or there may bemultiple ground buttons at various locations designed to make contactwith the user's hand. Further, the ground contact may be a ribbon,rivet, or strip of conductive material positioned to make contact withthe user's hand, for example, by surrounding the wrist of the glove.Further, the ground contact may also function as a snap, button, hook,or zipper used to adjust the fit of glove 100. Further, the groundcontact may be glued, sewn, or riveted in place.

In some embodiments, glove 100 may be secured to the user's wrist usingmeans suitable for the application of glove 100. For example, it may besecured using elastic sewn into or otherwise attached to the wrist ofglove 100, adjustable straps, snaps, or stretchable material.

In some embodiments, dielectric layer 160 may comprise thicker orthinner neoprene or other flexible dielectric material, provided thatthe thickness or composition of the material does not adversely affectthe weight or flexibility of glove 100. Further, dielectric layer 160may comprise a coating or paint which enhances its dielectric propertieswhile allowing for use of a thinner material.

In some embodiments, annunciator 174 may provide other alert mechanismsinstead of or in addition to an audible alert. For example, annunciator174 may comprise multiple LEDs that indicate different conditions, suchas solid green for “detector functioning, no danger” and flashing redfor “danger.” Further, the audible alert could change pitch or volume inproportion to the proximity and/or strength of the AC voltage. Further,annunciator 174 may include a haptic indicator that vibrates whendangerous AC voltage is detected; such an indicator may prove useful innoisy environments.

In some embodiments, the functionality provided by some or all of thecomponents of printed circuit board 130 could be performed by anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Use of an ASIC couldreduce the footprint of the circuitry mounted on printed circuit board130 and thus reduce the size and weight of printed circuit board 130.

In some embodiments, the functionality provided by some or all of thecomponents of printed circuit board 130 could be performed by alow-power microcontroller. Use of a programmable microcontroller could,for example, provide better analysis of detected signals to reduce falsepositives, provide a greater degree of customizable features such asoptimizing glove 100 for particular operating environments, extractingadditional information about detected signals such as strength,frequency, and harmonic distortion, and logging of significant events inthe microcontroller's non-volatile memory for later access. Significantevents may include, for example, the detection of dangerous voltage,power on/off, configuration changes, recalibration, and the like.Further, the addition of a GPS receiver to circuit board 130 couldprovide location to the information logged about significant events.Further, the presence of a programmable microcontroller could simplifyexternal connectivity as described in the following paragraph.

In some embodiments, circuit board 130 further comprises communicationshardware for connecting glove 100 to an external device such as aportable computer, smart phone, or computer network. The communicationshardware may include a wired connector, such as a USB or Lightning port,or it may include wireless radio transceiver suitable for use withBluetooth, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11x, or other wireless protocols. Thepresence of a microcontroller as part of the circuitry present oncircuit board 130 simplifies external communications since suchmicrocontrollers may include integrated transceivers and embeddedprotocol stacks. Glove 100 may transmit the occurrence of significantevents to the external device in real time, for example to provideinstantaneous reports to the worker's supervisor, or in non-real time,for example, at the end of the workday when glove 100 is plugged intothe external device for recharging. Further, the external device couldsend configuration, software updates, and other operational informationto the microprocessor via application software running on the externaldevice.

In some embodiments, the power source for circuit board 130 may compriserechargeable batteries, which can be recharged by physical connection ofglove 100 to a power source, for example, via a USB cable, by placingglove 100 in proximity to a wireless charging pad, by a kinetic energycharger incorporated into glove 100, or by the electric field that glove100 is designed to detect. In the latter embodiment, an energy storagecircuit would be required to store small amount of energy collected bythe electric field.

In some embodiments, the signals received via aerials 150 at circuitboard 130 could be conditioned prior to passing through band pass filter171. By way of example, such conditioning may include the use of a largeresistor connected to ground to ensure that the input to band passfilter 171 remains low except in the absence of AC voltage. Circuitboard 130 may also include components to match the impedance of aerials150 in order to maximize signal received by band pass filter 171.

In some embodiments, the signals received via aerials 130 could beindividually processed and analyzed; such individual signal processingcould provide, for example, additional information about the physicalposition of the AC voltage with respect to aerials 150.

In some embodiments, it may be useful for the ends of the glove fingersto be exposed, for example, to allow the user to have physical contactwith some external device such as a computer touch-screen. In suchembodiments, the finger portions of outer layer 110, inner layer 120,and dielectric layer 160 will not extend to the fingertips. Aerials 150may be shortened, at the expense of lowered sensitivity, oralternatively, to maintain sensitivity, the coiled portions of aerials150 may extend into the back portion of glove 100 or may be coiled moredensely.

In some embodiments, the functionality of the components of circuitboard 130 may be configurable, either manually or dynamically. Forexample, in the U.S., the AC voltage is 60 Hz while in Australia, ACvoltage is 50 Hz. A manual switch on glove 100 could change thecircuitry from one frequency to another, or alternatively, the circuitrycould be automatically configured to the proper frequency by holdingglove 100 near an active AC voltage conductor.

In some embodiments, an additional aerial, configured to transmit an ACvoltage signal, could be incorporated into glove 100. This would allowthe components of circuit board 130 to be tested periodically to confirmproper operation.

In some embodiments, a low-voltage detection circuit could beincorporated in the components of circuit board 130. This could alertthe user that power source (for example, the on-board batteries) weretoo weak for proper operation.

In some embodiments, a motion detector, such as an accelerometer, couldsense when glove 100 was not in use and put the components of circuitboard 130 into a low power sleep mode; the motion detector could alsosense when glove 100 was in use, putting the components of circuit board130 back into normal operation mode. In other embodiments, glove 100 mayinclude a power switch that allows the user to turn the power to circuitboard 130 on and off.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A non-contact AC voltage detecting glove,comprising: an outer layer in the shape of a human hand and comprising aback, a wrist, a palm, and a plurality of fingers, each of the fingerscomprising a top portion and a bottom portion; an inner layer in theshape of a human hand comprising a back, a wrist, a palm, and aplurality of fingers, each of the fingers comprising a top portion and abottom portion, where the inner layer fits inside the outer layer; aflexible dielectric layer positioned (a) between the top portion of eachfinger of the outer layer and the top portion of each finger of theinner layer, (b) between the back of the outer layer and the back of theinner layer, and (c) between the wrist of the outer layer and the wristof the inner layer; a flexible circuit board positioned between thedielectric layer and the outer layer, the flexible circuit boardcomprising: a dielectric substrate; a plurality of serpentine printedcircuits, where each serpentine printed circuit extends from about thebase knuckle of each finger to about the distal end of each finger andwhere each serpentine printed circuit functions as a monopole aerial; aplurality of electronic components, the plurality of electroniccomponents comprising a low band pass filter, a high band pass filter, avoltage detector, a power supply, an annunciator, and a ground contact;a plurality of pads for connecting the plurality of electroniccomponents; and a plurality of printed circuits connecting the pluralityof serpentine printed circuits and the plurality of pads; where theground contact comprises conductive material and is positioned at thewrist of the inner layer, and where the annunciator is configured toalert a user of the glove when the voltage detector detects a proximityof an AC voltage to the aerials.
 2. The glove of claim 1, where the lowband pass filter, high band pass filter, and voltage detector areimplemented using discrete circuits.
 3. The glove of claim 1, where theplurality of electronic components further comprises anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and where the low bandpass filter, the high band pass filter, and voltage detector areimplemented on the ASIC.
 4. The glove of claim 1, where the plurality ofelectronic components further comprises a microcontroller, where themicrocontroller comprises a processor and non-volatile memory, where thenon-volatile memory comprises instructions for performing calculationsrelated to implementation of at least one of the low band pass filter,high band pass filter, and voltage detector, and where the non-volatilememory comprises instructions for storing the results of calculationsrelated to implementation of at least one of the low band pass filter,high band pass filter, and voltage detector.
 5. The glove of claim 1,where the dielectric layer comprises neoprene about 3 mm in thickness.6. The glove of claim 1, where the power supply comprises a battery. 7.The glove of claim 1, where the annunciator emits a sound to alert theuser of the proximity of the AC voltage.
 8. The glove of claim 1,further comprising: a switch configured to allow the user to turn thepower supply on and off.
 9. The glove of claim 1, where the outer layerconsists of one or more materials selected from the group consisting ofleather, cotton, wool, canvas, rubber, latex, nylon, neoprene, nitrile,polyvinyl, polyethylene, silk, Kevlar, polyurethane, Teflon, and metalfiber and where the inner layer consists of one or more materialsselected from the group consisting of cotton, silk, wool, and leather.10. A non-contact AC voltage detecting glove, comprising: an outer layerin the shape of a human hand and comprising a back, a wrist, a palm, anda plurality of fingers, each of the fingers comprising a top portion anda bottom portion; an inner layer in the shape of a human hand comprisinga back, a wrist, a palm, and a plurality of fingers, each of the fingerscomprising a top portion and a bottom portion, where the inner layerfits inside the outer layer; a flexible circuit board positioned (a)between the top portion of each finger of the outer layer and the topportion of each finger of the inner layer, (b) between the back of theouter layer and the back of the inner layer, and (c) between the wristof the outer layer and the wrist of the inner layer, the flexiblecircuit board comprising: a dielectric substrate; a plurality ofserpentine printed circuits, where each serpentine printed circuitextends from about the base knuckle of each finger to about the distalend of each finger and where each serpentine printed circuit functionsas a monopole aerial; a plurality of electronic components, theplurality of electronic components comprising a low band pass filter, ahigh band pass filter, a voltage detector, a power supply, anannunciator, and a ground contact; a plurality of pads for connectingthe plurality of electronic components; and a plurality of printedcircuits connecting the plurality of serpentine printed circuits and theplurality of electronic components; where the ground contact comprisesconductive material and is positioned at the wrist of the inner layer,and where the annunciator is configured to alert a user of the glovewhen the voltage detector detects a proximity of an AC voltage to theaerials.
 11. The glove of claim 10, where the low band pass filter, highband pass filter, and voltage detector are implemented using discretecircuits.
 12. The glove of claim 10, where the plurality of electroniccomponents further comprises an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC), and where the low band pass filter, the high band pass filter,and voltage detector are implemented on the ASIC.
 13. The glove of claim10, where the plurality of electronic components further comprises amicrocontroller, where the microcontroller comprises a processor andnon-volatile memory, where the non-volatile memory comprisesinstructions for performing calculations related to implementation of atleast one of the low band pass filter, high band pass filter, andvoltage detector, and where the non-volatile memory comprisesinstructions for storing the results of calculations related toimplementation of at least one of the low band pass filter, high bandpass filter, and voltage detector.
 14. The glove of claim 10, where thepower supply comprises a battery.
 15. The glove of claim 10, where theannunciator emits a sound to alert the user of the proximity of the ACvoltage.
 16. The glove of claim 10, further comprising: a switchconfigured to allow the user to turn the power supply on and off. 17.The glove of claim 10, where the outer layer consists of one or morematerials selected from the group consisting of leather, cotton, wool,canvas, rubber, latex, nylon, neoprene, nitrile, polyvinyl,polyethylene, silk, Kevlar, polyurethane, Teflon, and metal fiber andwhere the inner layer consists of one or more materials selected fromthe group consisting of cotton, silk, wool, and leather.
 18. Anon-contact AC voltage detecting glove, comprising: an outer layer inthe shape of a human hand and comprising a back, a wrist, a palm, and aplurality of fingers, each of the fingers comprising a top portion and abottom portion; an inner layer in the shape of a human hand comprising aback, a wrist, a palm, and a plurality of fingers, each of the fingerscomprising a top portion and a bottom portion, where the inner layerfits inside the outer layer; a first flexible circuit board positionedbetween the bottom portion of each finger of the outer layer and thebottom portion of each finger of the inner layer, the first flexiblecircuit board comprising: a dielectric substrate; and a plurality ofserpentine printed circuits, where each serpentine printed circuitextends from about the base knuckle of each finger to about the distalend of each finger and where each serpentine printed circuit functionsas a monopole aerial; a second flexible circuit board positioned betweenthe outer layer and the inner layer, the second flexible circuit boardcomprising: a dielectric substrate; a plurality of electroniccomponents, the plurality of electronic components comprising a low bandpass filter, a high band pass filter, a voltage detector, a powersupply, an annunciator, and a ground contact; a plurality of pads forconnecting the plurality of electronic components; and a plurality ofprinted circuits connecting the plurality of serpentine printed circuitsto the plurality of pads; where the ground contact comprises conductivematerial and is positioned at the wrist of the inner layer, and wherethe annunciator is configured to alert a user of the glove when thevoltage detector detects a proximity of an AC voltage to the aerials.